POTTSTOWN — The changes underway at the Pottstown Area Seniors’ Center now also include a change in leadership.

After 19 years with the center, Executive Director Brad Fuller is joining the legions of the retired and is currently training his replacement — Brian Parkes of Gilbertsville.

Parkes, 43, was most recently self-employed for nine years with Krisp Communications, a firm which worked exclusively with non-profit organizations and specializing in communications, grant-writing and fundraising.

Among his clients were six senior centers in Chester County and one in Montgomery County.

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“I’ve seen their struggles and I’m familiar with their issues,” said Parkes.

All of which makes him a good candidate to replace Fuller as the center is about to launch another major capital campaign. The center is looking to fund the final renovations to complete the transformation of the old Pottstown Health Club on Moser Road into the seniors center’s new home.

“I remember when I started here 18 years ago and I followed my predecessor for a time to learn the ropes and from what I’ve seen, I think Brian is going to do something better than I did in some areas,” Fuller said.

“Brad has done a great job, and I’ve got some big shoes to fill. I’m lucky he is here to mentor me through the transition,” Parkes said.

A graduate of Springfield High School and the University of Hartford, Parkes has worked in the finance industry, marketing and in medical publishing before starting his business.

“Everyone has been extremely friendly and welcoming,” Parkes said of his introduction to the Pottstown Area Seniors Center community.

“I am looking forward to the challenge this position will bring, and bringing my experience in fundraising and communications to the center,” said Parkes. “My vision is for this center to be a destination for older adults in this area – a warm and welcoming place filled with energy and activity.”

“Really, I would like to see this not so much as a seniors center, but as a community center for older adults — a place that has a lot of life to it,” Parkes said.

Fuller said this is more than just wishful thinking, but an emerging philosophy of becoming a “positive aging center,” one that attracts adults closer to the minimum age of 50.

With members already coming from Phoenixville, Royersford, Elverson, Barto and Bally, Fuller said he believes the center’s new location on Moser Road, just off Route 422, will attract this “transformational mix” of members which will help to make it “less vulnerable to fluctuation, and more self-sustaining.”

Of course, the center is not fully open yet.

Purchased with the help of a grant from the Pottstown Area Health and Wellness Foundation, the building known to most as the Pottstown Health Club is still in need of about $800,000 worth of renovation.

Currently, activities are split between those few things that can be done at the Moser Road location and the remainder in temporary quarters at Berean Bible Church on East High Street in Sanatoga.

In order to finance the remaining $800,000, the center must raise at least $200,000 to add to the $200,000 it already has in hand.

One grant application is currently pending with First Niagara Bank and the center is also pursuing a $125,000 Community Development Block Grant to fund the installation of the center’s new elevator and electrical work, Fuller explained.

The next opportunity for the community to lend a hand, said Parkes, is the April 5 Golden Apple Gala at Copperfield Inn in Limerick.

With 200 seats open, tickets are $125 and the goal is to raise $25,000.

The entertainment for the event is Bill Haley Jr. and the Comets.

Timing will be key as the center has applied for a $100,000 matching grant from the Pottstown Area Health and Wellness Foundation.

If they receive the grant, every dollar raised between April 5 and the end of June will be matched by another dollar from the foundation.

Through July, the center would receive $1 for every $2 raised.

Should all those pieces fall into place, work on the center could start by mid-summer and be completed for full occupancy by the end of the year, said Fuller.

“We have everything ready to go,” Fuller said, noting that Kaiser Construction is the primary contractor and Longacre has the sub-contract to do the electrical and plumbing work.

“Once the financing is in place, it should only take a few weeks,” he said.

But he won’t be there to see it.

Fuller’s retirement becomes official on April 21, but his last actual workday will be Friday, March 14.

A coffee and cake social to say goodbye will be held that day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Berean Bible Church, 2675 E. High St.

Sad to leave a place he has steered for so many years, Fuller is also looking forward to doing more teaching and, hopefully, taking some classes on his own in North Carolina, where he and his wife are retiring.

But it will be easier to enjoy that retirement, he said, knowing that he has left the center he’s led for 19 years in capable hands.

“I think Brian is going to be a great fit here in Pottstown and he is the right person to take this center forward,” Fuller said.

About the Author

Evan Brandt has worked for The Mercury since November 1997. His beat includes Pottstown, the surrounding townships and the Pottstown and Pottsgrove school districts, as well as other varied general topics like politics, the environment and education. Reach the author at ebrandt@pottsmerc.com
or follow Evan on Twitter: @PottstownNews.